Brownstein: This shutdown may help Democrats, but not democracy

"It's hard, however, to plausibly argue that those health care cuts are the most urgent threat facing the nation at a time when Trump is explicitly demanding that the Justice Department prosecute those he considers enemies, pressuring ABC to remove a late night TV host he dislikes, dispatching National Guard forces into blue cities, and preparing the military to fight the enemy from within."

"Bottom-up backlash Congressional Democrats, by centering their demands on restoring funding for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, are deploying their strongest legislative weapon the ability to shut down the government behind what polls show is their strongest issue: health care. That may, in fact, be the approach that maximizes the party's chances of winning back at least the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms."

"By any conventional political calculation, health care is a tempting target for Democrats. As a result of the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the year-end expiration of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies, about 16 million people will lose their health insurance, according to Congressional Budget Office projections. No previous statute has ever cost so many their coverage. About 20 million more people who buy coverage on the ACA exchanges would face higher premiums if the subsidies end."

Democrats centered their shutdown demands on restoring Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to protect millions from losing coverage. The strategy leverages the party’s strongest legislative tool and the popularity of health care to improve midterm prospects in 2026. President Trump is simultaneously pressing the Justice Department to prosecute his enemies, pressuring ABC over a late-night host, deploying National Guard units to Democratic cities, and preparing the military to confront domestic threats. Stopping these actions likely requires decentralized, bottom-up backlash rather than opposition-party intervention. Congressional Budget Office projections show about 16 million will lose insurance and 20 million could face higher premiums.

Read at www.mercurynews.com